Air conditioning device



Jul 19, 1932. w, DEMSQN 1,868,278

AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE Original Filed Jan. 11. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENIOR /M M M ATTORN EY July 19, 1932. w. c. DENISON 1,863,278

' AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE I Original Fi led Jan. 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ll/loew /M MM/hu ATTORNEY atented July- 19, 1932 I) PATENT OFFIC Am CONDITIONING DEVICE Original application filed January 11, 1930, Serial No. 420,242. Divided and this application filed August 30, 1930. Serial No. 479,028.

This invention relates to air conditioning means adapted to be used in private houses and other buildingssuch as stores, factories and the like. The principal object of the invention is to overcome the present unhealthful, uncomfortable and unsanitary atmospheric conditions which usually prevail in houses, stores and factories at the present time, and to accomplish this result by the provision of a simple, efiioient and inexpensive apparatus, hereinafter described in detail.

I am aware that, prior to my invention, certain devices have been produced for airconditioning, but so far as I am aware there are none which give desirable results and which are at the same time sufiiciently simple and efficient to warrant their general installation in places where such devices are desirable.

Ordinary hot air furnaces now in use are efiicient in maintaining a comfortable temperature in well built houses, especially when combined with automatic or thermostatically controlled means for governing the rate of fuel consumption.

It is one object of this invention to produce a device which can be used in connection with hot air heating installations already in use.

One of the principal evils which this invention is designed to overcome is that of low humidity which usually obtains in winter, due to the drying efi'ect produced on outside air when it is brought in and heated. It is well known that excessively dry air causes squeaking floors, loosening of furniture, and any number of bodilyills, such as nose and throat irritations due to dehydrated 40 mucous membrane, pulmonary disorders due to sudden changes of humidity inside and outside the building, and predisposition to colds, grippe, influenza and similar infections.

These evils can be in a large measure overcome by the use of properly humidified air, and it is a further object of this invention to provide a device which shall be of such simplicity of construction that it will be feasible for the ordinary householders to provide properly conditioned air. In addition to providing proper humidity conditions i it is also an object of this invention to overcome another important cause of discomfort and disease, namely, unclean or dusty air, which carries irritating dust particles and bacteria and also necessitates constant sweeping and dusting, all of which are largely unnecessary.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

This application is a division of applica- Serial No. 420,242, filed January 11,

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing a slightly modified form of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the cylindrical wall of a firebox of an ordinary hot air furnace. A horizontal partition 2 may constitute'the bottom of the firebox, provided with any suitable grates, according to conventional construction. Ar ranged outside the wall. 1 and concentric therewith is the conventional furnace shell 3 between which and the furnace the air to be heated passes. A bottom wall 4 serves to prevent air entering except through the conditioning means. Attached to the wall 3 of the furnace shell by any suitable means is an annular Wall 5 which taken in connection with the concentric wall 6 and top and bottom walls 7 and 8, and end walls, constitute what I term a conditioning chamber. (This chamber may extend a greater or less distance around the furnace as desired). An opening 11 is provided in the wall 3 to admit air from the conditioning chamber into the furnace shell and the wall 5 is slotted above the bottom of the wall 6 to provide an air passage from the chamber into the furnace shell. The upper end of the furnace shell communicates with any suitable pipes 3 leading to the various rooms to which air is to be furnished. The air pipe 13 communicates with some portion or portions of the conditioned.

I cumulation of carbon dioxide in the house.

Mounted in suitable. holding devices 15 and 16 at the top and bottom respectively,

is a dust removing means 17, which-may consist of a strip of fabric such as cotton flannel, a number of sheets of porous paper orany other suitable dust removing means. The retaining. members 15 and 16 are continuous andextend the full length of the annular conditioning chamber. These preferably consist of a stri of sheet metal bent as shown to provide a bulged portionfor the reception of the edges of thescreen 17. This screen in the preferred form consists of fabric having the edges hemmed and a wire,

cord, or equivalentmember inserted into the hem to -prevent the edge from escaping out by annular shaped wire holding means 21-- of the surrounding means 15 and 16. If the force of air against the member 17 is such as to require it, the screen may be supported held in position by suitable supports attached by solder or the like. Attached to the wall 5 are ribs 24 which extend outwardly therefrom at regularly spaced intervals, such as may be'foundnecessary to prevent the humidifying screen 30 from coming into contact with. the wall 5. Attached to the trolled thereby.

wall 5 are suitable brackets" which support a trough 27 containing water. The trough 27 ma communicate through a suitablepipe 279 with a float valve chamber 27 which is supplied bypipe 27 communicating with the city water supply and controlled by a float 27 and any suitable valve construction con- The fabric 30 which may have 'a weight attached to the edge thereof dips into t e trough 27 and is held in position therein said wei ht. The fabric 30 extends over t e ed 0 the trough 27 and hangs in juxtaposition to the ribs 24 which are attached to' the 'wall 5. This fabric will be kept moist by means of capillary attraction and will serve to evaporate a large quantity of moisture into the air by reason of being in close juxtaposition to the screen through which the air must pass. The humidifying screen 30 is held away from the wall 5 by means of the ribs 24 and thus allows the lpassage of air both through and adjacent t ereto, as it passes toward the openin 11. Formed in the bottom wall 7 is a drip trough 7*which may'have a connection with the sewer. Covers36 are provided for the introduction of the humidifying fabric 30. A weight may be provided at the bottom of each'humidifying fabric 30 to hold the same in proper, position. I v

Mounted on any suitable bracket 40 is a small motor 41 driving a fan 42. This fan- .is of a size to produce a suitableair pressure against the screen 17 and it has been found in practice that an air pressure of from .15 to .20 inches of water is suitable, producing a passage of air 'through' the screen 17 of approximately 25 cu. ft. per

' minute .per square foot." An important feature of this invention is the reduction to the.

minimum of the air pressure required, by

the use of a large area of screen, and this large'area is obtained without employing -a device which requires a large amount 0 space for its installation b using a device made in annular shape to t closely against the wall of the furnace shell.

It is also an important feature that a large area of humidifying fabric is exposed in close juxtaposition to the screening fabric. As before stated, the screen means- 17 is sofcontinuous and held in brackets 15 and 16. 1

Each end of this fabric may extend through the end walls and be received in roll holders provided with central spindles 49 and cranks (not shown) which may be provided with ratchets, if desired, to prevent retrograde v the screen in position.

In gperation the air is drawn by the fan 41 through the pipe 13 from the house or other desired source of supply and passes into the conditioning chamber, through the air cleaning device 17, adjacent the humidifying fabric '30 and through the openin 11 into the furnace shell where it is heate by passing in close contact with the walll of the firebox. 'It then passes to the various ,rooms where conditioned air is required. I have found that where the amount of air which comesinto the house from the outside is small, after a desirable humidifying area has been established, which maybe done by inserting or removing sectionsof the humidifying means, the humidity will automatically remain in the comfort zone under ordinary operating conditions. As the air tends to become drier, .-a greater amount of water will be evaporated from the humidifying fabric, and as the humidit increases, a smaller amount of water will so evaporated. Consequently a point of equilibrium will be reached which under ordinary conditions will remain within the comfort movement and may. be employed to stretch claims and that my invention is limited only by said claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A combination heating unit and air conditioning appliance comprisin a furnace having a fire box and a substantially annular air heating shell having one or more inlets for air and one or more outlets, a substantially annular air conditioning chamber encircling said heatin shell and connected therewith, a substantially annular air filtering fabric disposed within said air conditioning chamber and through .which the air to be conditioned must pass, means detachably securing said filtering fabric in place and a fan causing the air to be conditoned to pass therethrough, a sectional humidifying means including separate sections of fabric also disposed within said air conditionin chamber in close proximity to said filtering fabric whereby the air passing through said screen will impinge thereagainst, the humidifying fabric being of substantially the same aggregate size and shape as said filtering fabric, the said air conditioning chamber, filtering fabric and humidifying fabric being of relatively large area so that the air will be delivered therethrough at a relatively low gelicity and effectively filtered and humidi- 2. A combination-heating unit and air conditioning appliance comprising a furnace having a heating means and a substantially annular air heating shell having one or more inlets for air and one or. more outlets, a substantially annular air conditioning chamber encircling said heating shell and connected therewith, a substantially annular air filtering fabric disposed within said air conditioning chamber and through which the air to be conditioned must pass, means detachably securing said filtering fabric in place, and a fan causing the air to be conditioned to pass therethrough, a sectional humidifying means including separate sections of fabric also disposed within said air conditionin chamber in close proximity to said filtering fabric whereby the air passing through said screen will impinge thereagainst, the humidifying fabric being of substantially the same aggregate size and shape as said filtering fabric, the said air conditioning chamber, filtering fabric and humidifying fabric being of relatively large area so that the air wlll be delivered therethrough at a relatively low yielpcity and effectively filtered and humidi- 3. An air conditioning appliance including a wall of aheating apparatus, an air chamber adjacent said wall and an air cleaning means in said chamber through which all air conditioned by the device must flow, said cleaning means being of considerable area whereby air will be delivered therethrough at a low velocity, and said appliance includin a. humidifying fabric of large area in c ose juxtaposition to said cleaning means but spaced therefrom a suflicient distance to avoid wetting the latter, andmeans for causing air to pass through said cleaning means and then along at least one side of said humidifying fabric, said humidifying fabric extending less than entirely across said chamber whereby air need not pass therethrough.

4. An air conditioning appliance including a fire box, an air chamber at least partially surrounding said fire box, and a filter extending completely across said chamber, said filter also partially surrounding said fire box, and said appliance including a humidifying fabric in close juxtaposition to said filter and disposed between the same and said firebox, and means for keeping said fabric moist, said last means including 'a water receptacle into which an edge of said humidifying fabric dips and means for controlling the height of water in said receptacle.

5. An air conditioning appliance including a fire box, an air chamber atleast partially surrounding said fire box, and a filter extending completely across said chamber, said filter also partially surrounding said fire box, and said appliance including a humidifying fabric in close juxtaposition to said filter and disposed between the same and said fire box, and means for keeping said fabric moist, said last means including a water recepacle into which the upper edge of said humidifying fabric dips and means for controlling the height of water in said receptacle.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAM G. DENISON. 

